I Know Why the Caged Bird Died
by Sapphirine
Summary: Night falls, and everything is still- at least, mostly. When Raven is attacked by an unknown criminal, Robin rushes to her aid- but it's too late. Gloves covered with blood, Robin is framed as the killer. Fleeing, he swears to avenge Raven's death. Hunted by the authorities and hated by his former team, Robin can't help but to feel like he's next in line for the gleaming blade.
1. Chapter 1

_**{My very first murderfic and my second fanfic! Please note that this is more adventure/action than mystery, as I'm not great with those... please enjoy and review afterward anyway! Please give it a chance despite my newness to this!  
**_

_**Well... here goes nothing...}**_

Raven jolted up, eyes wide with terror, screaming. She couldn't sleep, hadn't be able to for the last few months. Not that she wanted to. Her dreams were plagued by restless nightmares of her demonic father, Trigon, and what terrible tortures he would inflict on her if he caught her. Every time she fell asleep, she would jolt up, fifteen minutes later, a nightmare plaguing the dark corners of her mind as she panted for breath, pale violet eyes wide, in a cold sweat.

_I'm not going back to sleep. _she thought wretchedly as she was wracked in shivers in her bed. _That one was far too real to endure._

She slid her feet out onto the cold floor, looking fearfully at her old, Raven-like decorations- walls painted dark purple with silvery vines, amethyst-eyed ravens peeking from behind triangular bookshelves, the drama stone sculpture of the smiling and frowning face standing on her round, black table. The entire world had a sense of creepiness and haunted feeling about it, but Raven found her familiar room decor almost comforting to look at.

_I'm safe. _she thought, as she climbed in bed, still shaking but less so now, back into her great, curved pentagonal bed partway in the wall. _Nothing will harm me. Stupid dreams and their stupid notions. Trigon's gone. You banished him forever. It's over. _However, despite her reassuring thoughts, the shadows at the foot of her bed and dancing outside the window still frightened her in a subconscious, haunting way. The midnight wind which whispered chills down her spine sang of a murderer, carrying the scent of freshly spilled blood on its invisible breath. Slipping under the white sheets, she shivered, hugging her reassurance close. _I'm safe. No one will get me. I'm here, with friends._

She glanced out the window at the hidden full moon, shafts of silver moonlight struggling to break through the clouds. A murder of crows took flight, fleetingly blocking out the cowering moon in their fluttering black mass before dispersing, the clouds clearing away as the moon, a shimmering silver-white disk of light, glowed with a fierce, brutal coldness.

_Not everything is asleep tonight. _she thought with an apprehensive shudder. _Something is not right._

She turned away and settled into her warm bed, watching the eerie shades of black dance on her wall and her ceiling, silver vine-work designs gleaming with a wicked light, reminding her of the cruel gleam of steel.

_Stop it! _she scolded herself fiercely, now thoroughly shaking with fear. _Stop making up silly fantasies and scaring yourself half to death! GO TO SLEEP!_

Suddenly, a loud crash screamed through the night, and a glass shard impaled itself into Raven's pillow inches away from her head as she drew in a sharp breath, springing out of bed, facing her unseen attacker as the alarm blared incessantly, the room flashing red. Thumps and crashes echoed nearby as the other Titans shouted her name, their footsteps rapidly sounding toward her. The hint of steel gleamed at her from the darkness as a single passing shaft of light illuminated a wickedly sharp blade.

Raven's eyes widened as she recognized the face concealed by the darkness, opening her mouth to scream.

"Good night, my pretty little girl." a voice whispered menacingly in the darkness, and lunged, dagger drawn.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o 0o0oo0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0oo0o0o 0o0o0o0o00o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0 **

Robin jolted up as the alarm began to ring, and a girl's terrified scream of agony tore through the cool night.

"Raven!" he shouted, leaping out of bed and racing out his door, turning a sharp corridor down the hallway to Raven's room. He aimed a powerful spin kick at the door, and it fell with a loud clatter in a cloud of dust motes which sparkled like cold ice in the unwelcoming moonlight.

A dark silhouette lied, motionless, at the foot of the bed.

"No, not Raven!" Robin shouted in anxious dread. "Titans, get over here _this instant_!" He rushed toward the girl, gently lifting her head as the enchantress groaned in pain, eyelids fluttering. A long gash, starting from her last, left rib scoring all the way to her right hipbone, flowed freely scarlet. Her face was impossibly whiter than normal, rather beautiful features set into a still, pale mask of death, mouth half-open in a silent scream. A vermilion-tipped, gleaming steel blade laid some ways away. The window had been shattered into a thousand, clear shards of sharp glass, a screaming, cold wind tearing into the room, making the dark curtains wave wildly in the gale.

"She's losing too much blood." Robin whispered as he snatched as sheet off her bed, not caring about polite manners as he ripped off a long strip of white cloth, wrapping it around the wound, but the blood soaked through as he hissed in annoyance, pressing on the wound with his hands, desperate to at least slow the loss of blood. A gruff voice shouted in the distance- Cyborg's- waking up Starfire and Beastboy as steps hurried toward Raven's room.

"Robin-?" Raven started feebly, letting out a long, tortured, shaky sigh. "I- I don't think- go, please, just let me-"

Robin placed a finger to her lips silencing her. "Save your energy," he told her, forcing himself to appear calm. "We're going to get help. Just stay still and rest."

"Robin," Raven breathed, the light in her eyes fading into dull grey. "There's nothing you can do."

Robin shook his head firmly. "Doesn't mean we can't try."

"It's over, Robin." Raven murmured as her eyelids drifted closed. "Tell Beastboy-" Her request was cut off by a long, breathless sigh as her head drooped to one side, unmoving, the gem on her forehead fading away into a faint greyish white shade.

"Raven?" Robin pleaded. "_Raven!_"

The girl didn't give any response, limp in his arms.

Robin gently laid Raven down, picking up the knife, mask narrowing in rage, gloves covered with Raven's life blood that he had, in vain, tried to stop from flowing out.

"I'll avenge you, Raven." he snarled. "I swear."

The other Titans almost fell over each other as Starfire, Cyborg, and Beastboy almost literally ran over each other.

"Raven, what happened to her-" they started, and stared in horror at Robin, who was still holding the dagger.

Robin turned around, mask wide. "I didn't- I mean, I would never-!" he started incoherently, mask wide.

"Whoa..." Beastboy managed, despite the angry tears rising in the changeling's green eyes.

"Robin, I don't understand- why?" Starfire began, trailing off, shock evident in her teary eyes.

"Starfire, no, I didn't-" Robin began, but Cyborg cut him off.

"You- you killed her? You murdered my little sister?" he shouted in rage. "I swear, Robin, I'll-" he charged at him, roaring in hatred as his right hand transformed into a sonic cannon, flickering to life, glowing cyan.

"No, Cyborg, please! I didn't kill her!" Robin pleaded, showing his palms in a _I don't want to fight, okay? Take it easy _gesture, trying to make him understand. "She was dying when I got here, okay?"

"Don't give me the dumb act, Robin!" Cyborg yelled. "I'm going to thrash you, I'm-"

Robin looked down at Raven. "I won't forget you, Raven." he whispered, and jumped out of the broken window, into the endless night.

**o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0 o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0 o0o0oo0o0o00o0o0o0o0o0o00o0o 0o0oo00o0o0o0oo00o**

****The figure smirked, watching soundlessly from the shadows of the tower, peering over the railing off the roof of the Titans Tower.

"Very good." it whispered, voice as cold as ice, tinged with amusement. "The canary has stopped singing, and the little red and green bird dashes off to do justice. His nest members are disoriented by the lack of birdsong. The message has been delivered, the flock dispersed, the hawks assembled."

It bent down, pulling out something from its dark form- something that resembled a sort of communication device.

"Proceed with Phase Two." it snarled simply into the gadget, and leaped over the edge, swallowed up by the shroud of darkness.

**_{Going to get Chapter 2 ASAP, please comment via review and tell me where I could improve! :)}_**


	2. Chapter 2

_**{Runobody2- You are quite right. O.o I should have payed more attention to that, thanks. I just wanted to, y'know, create a scene of chaos. Thanks for pointing that out.}**_

Robin ran along the dark labyrinth of alleyways, panting for breath as white wisps of smoke billowed out from his breath into the midnight. He, admittedly, didn't know squat where he was going, but he knew the police would be on his tail any moment now. The last sighting had been what, half a hour ago?

Slowing down and doubling over, exhausted, hands on his knees, he wheezed for breath, coughing violently. The cold, dreary wind slicing through his lungs definitely didn't help with the lack of oxygen in his system as he collapsed on his knees, head bent. The sounds of distant barking and aggressive shouts echoed throughout the run down bricks, almost ancient in age.

_I have a moment. _he thought to himself, closing his eyes as he tried to slow his breathing. _Just a moment, then I start running again._

Despite the below freezing temperatures of the still, silent city, Robin's hair was slick with sweat, freezing on his skin- he could only go so far on a brain slowed with fatigue. Standing up, he tried to force himself to start running again, but he only managed to get to a slow jog, spots dancing before his eyes in exhaustion. Five hours was a long time to sprint from police.

Wandering aimlessly down a deserted alleyway, he dragged his feet almost in a mechanical way, ready to collapse on spot and die, no flowers or cremation on request. _Left, right, left, right. _As far as he was concerned, every step was the most excruciatingly new, improved instrument of pure torture.

Suddenly, a man's rough shout rang out as the Robin was blinded by white light, instinctively raising his arm to shield his eyes from the sharp glare. Flashlights shone, centered on him, as the narrow, desolate alleyway swarmed with police offers, all equipped with guns and Tasers, a few German shepherds unwillingly heeling, barking furiously, at the men's feet. At least fifty guns were cocked, aimed at him as Robin backed away warily, scanning the line of officers, drawing a grappling birdarang from behind his back.

"Look here!" A rather short, plump officer shouting, waving a gleaming gold badge in the howling wind which shimmered proudly with an air of official superiority. "I don't care if you're the Boy Wonder or whatnot, I don't care who you are, let's not make this harder than it has to be! So hands in the air, kid, one step forward and you get a bucketful load of volts running through your neural pathways!" He waved a gleaming black Taser threateningly, a thread of pure, violet and white stream of energy leaping between the two ends.

Robin didn't move an inch, his eyes flickering behind the mask between the officers in front of him and the ones he knew would be waiting behind.

"Hands up, kid! I don't want to do this to a boy like yourself, murderer or not!" the officer yelled, but his hands were shaking visibly as he aimed the Taser at Robin, a laser dot appearing on the latter's red and green uniform as the man switched to ranged.

It was obvious there was no escape as a second line of officers pulled in behind him, the hostile light glaring at him from the darkness.

He waved, giving a carefree grin that was definitely not authentic, and shot his birdarang skywards, shooting up and disappearing into the darkness, landing lithely on his feet as he broke off into a run, angry shouts of command echoing throughout the drab walls of the city alleyways as the police clambered clumsily up behind him, panting with the sheer effort as they took chase.

Leaping over the closely knit buildings, Robin stole a glance behind him as a policeman cocked a gun, aimed, and squeezed the trigger. He drew his staff quickly and parried the bullet, which went clanging off into the darkness, a blur of a silver flash as the police officer cursed like a sailor, gazing with new respect and admiration as well as distaste.

Robin half-smiled and poured on the speed, his breath hissing out from between clenched teeth.

"Give up, kid," a voice called from the darkness as a line of officers appeared on the horizon. "You can't go nowhere."

Robin's mask narrowed to slits as he skidded to a stop, turning in the opposite direction.

His former pursuers stood, grinning, Tasers ready to fry Robin's brain like a KFC drumstick.

Robin's mask widened in surprise and desperation before quickly regaining composure, snarling in annoyance.

"You're a dangerous one, kid." the man said regretfully, cocking a gun, finger on the trigger, and flipping on the Taser. "So sorry, but-"

Before Robin could say, "Ouch", the officer fired both weapons simultaneously, a bolt of excruciatingly painful electricity shorting out his brain signals as he screamed, the bullet letting loose a small, yet steadily rapid flow of blood as he collapsed, the darkness swirling down in front of his eyes. The policemen grinned at each other, a satisfied smirk on the officer's face as he gestured carelessly to the unmoving body on the ground, turning away to the shadows as he pulled out an identical communicator, his mouth opening to speak.

But before he could utter a single word, there was a flash of ragged black and a sickeningly sweet smell as the officers collapsed, unconscious. When the world faded into view of the authorities, the sun had risen, shining on an empty city rooftop. Robin had vanished, leaving only an unexplainable rag of torn, black fabric, a stray bullet lying in the periphery, and a small pool of Robin's blood, smeared into two intersecting lines- a clearly marked X.


	3. Chapter 3

_**{PalmerPie- See, I came up with a kind of catchy title of "I Know Why the Caged Bird Died" (I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, get it?), so I can only kill one of the 'birds' (Robin and Raven), and Robin is the main character and I don't really know how to make his death dramatic, so... yup. Also, the other Titans wouldn't have been effected much (except for probably Starfire) if Robin had died instead of Raven.  
**_

_**Originally, I would have killed Starfire and named this "The Bird with No Song" but it wasn't as catchy as "I know why the caged bird died", so. Lengthy Explanation there.}  
**_

Robin's eyes fluttered open as he managed to make a small, tortured sound escape from between his lips as he turned on one side, blinking rapidly. Pain shot up from his side as he moved his hand to touch rough, textured fabric soaked with his own blood. Dizzy with blood loss, he sat up groggily, surveying his surroundings.

It was an old, beaten apartment of sorts, windows shattered and broken, a delicate filigree of cracks webbing across the cloudy glass. Some meaningless squiggles of red, spray-painted graffiti scored across one, yellow wall with peeling-off olive green damask wallpaper. Sticks and trash, as well, to Robin's disgust, used Kleenexes were strewn across the dirty, greyed green, mud-daubed carpet which frayed off at the ends. Shards of glass littered the floor near the windows, hastily scraped aside. A nearby wastebasket was overflowing with debris and trash, spilling out half-eaten, moldy bread, smelly, greasy rotten food, and empty soda cans. Curtains were moth-eaten, torn at the ends, holes numerous, giving it the general appearance of a molded, sickly greenish-yellow hunk of Swiss cheese. The entire place looked like it was on its last legs.

"Well, this is charming. And I thought Beastboy's room was a pigsty." Robin muttered, scooching away from a suspiciously green-yellow stain on the ragtag mattress.

In short, it was not Robin's first pick to stay at. But of course, this wasn't the time to be pick and choose.

Twisting his head to the direction of the loud, cacophonous music blaring from the other room, blue and red lights flashed on the far wall. The lights flickered out weakly, the noise (you could hardly call it music) cutting off with a sound much like a strangled chicken squawk. A figure emerged from the darkness of the other room, tall, dark, masked.

Robin's mask narrowed. "I hoped I'd never see you again."

The figure grinned, plopping down on the torn sofa across from him, leaning back with his feet on the stained and messy coffee table.

"Missed me?" Red X asked, eyes narrowed.

Robin glared back at the thief. "You wish." He grinned cockily back. "So, care to tell me how you got out of a level four containment field and no chance of parole, master escapist, where you ultimately belong and where you'll be for the rest of your lousy life once I kick you, with little or no effort, back in there?"

Red X's eyes narrowed further. "Oh, that." he dismissed with a carefully constrained voice. "That was nothing. A few adhesive and constrictive restraints and a X-Portal-"

"-Which I designed and built-" Robin interjected annoyingly.

"-shut up," Red X snapped, before relaxing again. "Should do the trick. I thank you again for your-" he examined a red, X-shaped wrist blade with admiration, "- more than useful toys. They're really quite exemplary."

"You're not welcome." Robin told him dryly, and got up shakily. "Okay, we're done talking, I'm going to-"

Red X's eyes flared as he lifted a palm, an adhesive X flashing out and slapping the wide-eyed Robin to the wall, where he struggled in vain, not much unlike a fly on sticky flypaper.

"Oh, I don't think you'll be doing anything to me." Red X almost purred casually. "Because, one, I saved your life-"

"-when I really didn't need saving-" Robin muttered ungraciously.

"Do you ever shut up?" Red X snapped, boiling over in impatience.

_Yeah, but I just don't feel like I'm in a polite mood today. So deal with it. _Robin thought, but decided to spare Red X the annoyance just this once and let him finish talking. _Thank you, most irritating sensei Beastboy. You have taught me well through experience and long-suffering._

"As I was saying," Red X pressed out in a hiss. "two- because you're a wanted man yourself now, so you wouldn't dare go near the police, with me captive or not."

Robin's mask was wide with shock. "Wait, how did you-"

Red X smirked, propping his feet up higher on his mountain of greasy meal boxes. "Criminal mastermind talent."

"Not to mention a so-called 'criminal mastermind' sense of a slob." Robin muttered. "Exactly how often do you clean the place?"

Red X pretended to think. "Hm- like, _never." _He laughed as Robin's face contorted into pure disgust. "Kidding. Once in a year. Or two, or three. Or whenever I feel like it."

"That doesn't make much difference." Robin pointed out snarkily. "Because _'whenever I feel like it' _is probably equivalent to _never. _Some places here aren't decent for a cockroach."

"You realize you're a guest in my house?" Red X pointed out, a hint of anger smoldering in his voice.

"Yep." Robin noted. "Though house is a bit of a misnomer."

"Hey, look, bird boy," Red X snapped. "I didn't just save you off a tower crawling with those stuck-up good guys for kicks, alright? I have a _purpose _for saving your lousy, ungrateful, low-life hide."

Robin pretended not to hear right. "Excuse me, _you're _calling _me _low-life? Do you have _eyes or not?_"

Red X ignored the comment. "Oh, but you won't be grateful at all once I'm through with you, so no hard feelings there." he snarled, menace creeping threateningly into his voice as he drew a glittering, Damascus steel knife from his belt. The tip was still covered in purplish blood- the lifeblood of a half-demon, half-human girl.

Robin's mask widened as he recognized the blade. "No, you couldn't have-"

Red X smirked again. "Death really did enjoy his most recent visitor. Quite pretty, violet hair and eyes, a little Gem brought to him yesterday night, courtesy of Number One." He raised the dagger higher, his intentions obvious. "Robin, meet death. Death, meet Robin."

And he charged.


	4. Chapter 4

_**{Raven- Robin was the 'killer' because the Titans already distrusted him (a little bit) from the whole Slade thing, so he would be the one least trusted by the Titans (that is, founding Titans).}**_

Robin's mask widened as Red X charged with the knife, completely immobilized. At least, mostly.

Unsheathing a sharp birdarang, he sliced wildly at the adhesive constraint, cutting open his left thigh by accident as a fresh wave of blood welled up in the stinging wound. Bracing himself for the blow, he yelled in surprise as the adhesive gave suddenly just as Red X stabbed at his throat, the latter jerking down suddenly in his bonds, the steel lodging into the old wallpaper like butter where his neck was a second ago. Slicing upwards, Robin freed himself completely, landing in a crumpled heap on the dirty bed, pressing his hands to the wound.

Red X snarled, tugging hard at the firmly stuck knife before giving up, leaping down toward Robin, wrist-blade slashing in a furious arc as Robin rolled to the right quickly, ironically landing on the mysterious green and yellow splotch on the mattress.

Lengthening a bo staff quickly, he grunted as he thrust upwards at Red X, who slashed downwards at him, the metal clashing in a flurry of scintillation. Red X and Robin were almost forehead to forehead, snarling at each other, eyes narrowed, as Robin thrust out with his good leg, planting it quickly underneath his ribs, wrenching it forward as Red X was hurled into the air, slamming face-first into the opposite wall as Robin limped to his feet, one hand in a _tan shao _block, staff ready, a tortured yet confident look on his face as he smiled, motioning with his finger subtly in a _bring it on _gesture.

Red X hissed, running toward Robin as he launched himself into a flying kick, aiming to pin Robin to the wall. Robin sidestepped quickly, but his hurt leg slowed him down as his knees buckled in pain, Red X's foot slamming hard into the side of his head as spots danced before his eyes as he gasped for breath, blinking rapidly to clear the fog from his brain. Swinging out in a tiger tail kick, he drew in his breath sharply as a lance of pain shot up his left leg, but he gritted his teeth, striking Red X hard in the stomach as the breath was knocked out of the latter in a long _pfffffttttssss. _

Red X collapsed, gasping for breath like a fish out of water as he fell to his knees, but Robin swung his fist in an uppercut as the thief wheezed, staggering back a few inches, a dazed expression on his face, before it quickly cleared as Red X whipped around, throwing five X-shaped shruiken, as Robin, mask wide, quickly spun his staff, parrying all of them. Taking advantage of the distraction, Red X swiftly lifted Robin with his foot, the toe digging into his solar plexus, and twisted his ankle, striking out in a side kick as Robin slammed into the wall, dust motes clouding around him.

Smirking in victory, Red X crossed his arms, watching Robin's silhouette, defensive stance ready. Robin's shadowed form slowly dragged himself off the ground and faded from view as Red X's eyes widened in surprise. Suddenly, a sharp pain hit him in the neck as he was thrown forward sharply, face slamming into the ground as Robin kicked him hard in the neck and leaped lithely back, head cocked to one side.

"Your butt should be fairly easy to kick." Robin mused, shooting a tauntingly cocky look at the crumpled form on the ground. "That was by far the oldest trick in the book."

Red X almost roared in fury, as he swept himself up off the ground, swinging a high swing kick aimed at his head. Robin ducked quickly, a shot out an arm, grabbed his leg and threw him horizontally toward the opposite wall. However, instead of face-planting the wall soundly, Red X twisted his body, landing on his feet on the wall, and thrusting out, hands vise-like as he slammed Robin into the wall, strangling him as Robin, mask wide, choked, confused whether to struggle at Red X's steel grip or stop the gush of blood from his severely cut leg.

Red X smirked as he tightened his grip on Robin's throat, eyes narrowed in malice and cold amusement.

"Didn't disappoint you now, did I?" he whispered, every syllable dripping with venomous gloating. "Kids these days vill never learn, no?"

Robin bared his teeth, snarling like a feral animal as he thrust out again with his right foot, catching Red X hard in the solar plexus and throwing him back a good couple feet as the masked thief fell back, shattering the already cracked window pane, shards of sharp glass flying everywhere, one hurtling toward Robin, burying itself into his shoulder as he hissed with pain, yanking it out and pressing on the wound hard.

Red X's eyes were wide in shock as he breathed feebly, choking for breath as Robin limped over, shoving his foot upwards at Red X's neck, staff inches away from his nose, no doubt, although weakened, capable of breaking it and killing him in one, swift, decisive move.

Red X squirmed, struggling to escape weakly, but fell still, shaking uncontrollably, when he realized there was no snake-hole this time.

"I've been chasing you so long now, and you've sidestepped my every move. This time, there's no evading me." Robin snarled, thrusting down in a knife-wise movement as the tip of the staff flicked off the mask with a jerk of his wrist.

A black-haired boy with hazel eyes stared back at him, all traces of cockiness gone as he shied away from Robin's staff. He couldn't have been much older than Robin- perhaps one or two years younger?

Robin's face contorted in surprise at the unmasked face of the notorious thief which had evaded him for so long so masterfully. "You're only-" he began in confusion. "How did you-?" His face losing all traces of uncertainty as he narrowed his eyes, shoving his staff a few inches closer where it still threatened to dispatch him with a simple, sharp jab. "Who are you?"

The boy stared back, eyes wide, making no move to struggle or try to get away. Flinching as if someone had whacked him hard in the guts, he braced himself for the worst, averting his eyes. He hoarsely choked for breath, chest heaving with anxiety, voice no more than a whisper.

"M-My name is Jason."


	5. Chapter 5

_**{Sorry for such a late update! ;( I'm really, really sorry. I got so caught up with other things and had horrible Writer's Block and... I'll try harder, promise!}**_

Robin's mask widened in disbelief and surprise.

"Jason? I thought you-"

"Died?" Jason cut off. "Yeah. And then came back and was all evil and-"

He was silenced by a cold glare from Robin and the lowering of the staff a half inch.

"O-Okay." he stammered, fear obvious in his eyes. "Just trying to-"

Robin almost growled. "You're still a criminal, regardless. And I'm still turning you in."

Jason's composure instantly went to cool and collected. "And you're not, Robin?" he murmured softly. At the latter's look of surprise and resentment, he had the nerve to smirk a bit. "We're not so much different are we now, hm?"

Robin gnashed his teeth together. No doubt Red X's impersonation of Slade was an obvious personal-issue targeting taunt. He raised his staff, ready to slam it into the bridge of the thief's nose.

Jason's eyes widened in fear. "No! Okay, no, cool, don't, no, I meant! I mean, no, I, no, you, staff no, please don't! Can't, back, girl, Red, order, knife, no-" he broke off, realizing that his babbling was about zero percent understandable.

Robin stared down at him, obviously lost somewhere on the third "no", face puzzled.

Jason made the best pitiful, puppy face he could pull off with his smug, self-confident features, screaming in clarification, "DON'T KILL ME! PLEASE!"

Robin's mouth opened silently and closed in a _Ohhh... that _gesture before thrusting his staff down swiftly, jerking to a stop a millimeter away from his nose.

Jason began to scream uncontrollably, squeezing his eyes shut, tossing like he was having a seizure, limbs flying in all directions, not much unlike a flailing octopus in its death throes. He began to make choking sounds for no reason, convinced he was going to be dead in point five seconds.

Robin would have cracked up and rolled on the ground back and forth under lighter situations, but he only allowed himself an amused smirk which quickly disappeared into his usual angry and determined glare. "Open your eyes, oh so masterful thief. Switching to tofu, now, huh?"

Jason cracked an eye open cautiously. "Hey, why am I not dead?" He exhaled in relief. "Okay, you got me that time. One point for you." He managed a nervous grin, moving one finger up and slicing it down like he was chalking up a point for Robin, still eyeing the staff which was too close for comfort.

Robin exhaled deeply, glaring at Jason. If looks could kill, Jason would be six feet under. Or maybe twelve. Or eighteen.

"Okay, Re- I mean, Jason-" he smirked at Jason's annoyed look that he totally ignored his professional master thief-ness, preferring to call him by the name that he used when he had been under Robin, "-Because I'm in a generous, giving mood, I've decided to not kill you."

Jason blew out an enormous, exaggerated sigh of relief. "Thank every deity ever named on the face of the Earth."

Robin's face went from zero to on the verge of shoving Jason off the high apartment rooftop down fifty hundred feet to the unforgiving asphalt below. Point blank shot, results calculation being 100% positive smug thief splat on the sidewalk.

_Tempting. _he admitted. _Truly tempting._

He got up unwillingly, slamming the flat of his palm against the staff as it collapsing, stowing it away in his belt. "It's your lucky day, thief."

Jason sighed. "If you really don't mind, I gotta couple more banks to rob, you know?" Catching Robin's unconvinced look, he shrugged. "I'm not a murderer, okay? And I'll only rob a couple thousand bucks."

"Ha ha." Robin muttered sarcastically. "That's a new one. And _only_ a couple _thousand?_"

Jason shrugged, sweeping downward toward his mask which laid a couple ways away. "Okay, fine, a couple hundred, better? And now, if you'll excuse me."

Robin's mask narrowed, and in a split second Jason was thrown back against the ground, a flash of red and yellow streaking by his head as a birdarang stabbed into the cement next to his head. Robin pounced on the mask, the crucial piece to Jason's career as Red X, mercenary attempted-murderer, not-so-master thief, and streak of zero times in jail under the Boy Wonder's foot as he put a bit of pressure on the mask. A crack split through the air.

Jason winced, picking himself up and dusting himself off. "Okay what could you possibly want now?" he muttered, staring at the mask under Robin's shoe.

"Okay, here's the deal." Robin said coolly. "Under my foot is your life, basically." He couldn't resist putting in a little sting. "Which, by the way, was completely dependent on _my _idea-" He mentally rewarded himself with the severe gnashing of Jason's teeth. "- so, if I crush this, you'll be a useless street urchin. Unless, of course, you, ah, assist me."

Jason rolled his eyes, crossing his legs and leaning back against a pole easily. "Yeah, whatever, I could easily just use a ski mask or something."

There was a flash of red and green and Jason was pinned to the pole, Robin holding him in a stranglehold, face inches away from his, mask narrowed, baring his teeth.

"Change of plan." Robin snarled. "On second thought, this is a better arrangement. Fine by me either way, agree or not."

"You said this was a deal." Jason choked out, struggling feebly at Robin's iron grip. "What's in it for me?"

Robin cocked his head to one side. "You can live."

Jason rolled his eyes, "Aw, you gotta be-" The steely look that Robin was giving him silenced him.

"Of course, I could just kill you right now." Robin reasoned, giving him a pointed glance. "So, what will it be?"

Jason averted his eyes in defeat. It was obvious he didn't want to die young. "Okay, what do you want?"

Robin smirked. Finally, he was out of Square One. "Recently, a friend of mine had died. Raven, I do believe you've already been acquainted?"

"Oh, the one that I tested my totally kicking butt skills? The creepy-ish one?" Jason asked.

"More vice versa." Robin snorted, before quickly going back to unforgiving good bad guy. If that makes any sense at all. "She's been murdered. And considering your reckless, hapless attitude, I thought you might know a little something about it."

"You want to get revenge. Like back in those cheesy gung-ho action movies. Dude, Hollywood's got a lot to answer to." Jason laughed, smirking, and choked as Robin tightened his grip. "Okay, okay! I'll help you! Just let go of my neck! _Please!_"

It was Robin's turn to smirk. "Right." He released Jason, who rubbed his neck, wincing. "And by the way, if you happen to make, ah, complications, I'll sink a knife into your back before you can say _Ouch._" He unsheathed a birdarang, examining its sharp blade with obvious admiration and interest, before testing out its grip.

Jason gulped. "Right." No doubt Robin was entirely capable of what he promised. He reached into his belt and drew out a tattered piece of paper- a map.

"So." he said, spreading it out in front of Robin and jabbing a finger at it. "Let's start here..."


	6. Chapter 6

_**{I'm... back! Kind of. Anyways, I realize it have been a lazy couch potato at updating this... PLEASE I PROMISE I MULL OVER WHAT TO WRITE ON THIS... so mercy! Please! I try!**_

_**Anyways, I finally got this up... now that exposition's over there should be more fight sequences and stuff... anyhow...**_** enjoy-**

**_GirlInBlack- Umm... sure... why not... (know squat about the DC comics/Young Justice)_**

**_BlankyTheRockDorkinsnob- Does it make a difference? O.o_}**

Jason grinned as Robin glanced over the edge of the rooftop, figure shrouded in shadow, one masked eye arched higher than the other in skepticism. A squat warehouse crouched in the snowy sludge like a fat, malformed evil bunny rabbit.

"This..." he said disbelievingly, "Is your great plan?"

Jason looked hurt as he adjusted his skeletal mask. "Chill, kid. It's only Phase One. You watch and learn, padawan, watch and learn from the master. This is Square Two to getting the info you need the criminal way and I'll be jack outta this."

"'Outta' is not a word." Robin pointed out, annoyed. "And if you haven't noticed, you're on the _outside rim of a ten-story rooftop_. And my foot is about to connect with your behind, sending you more than fifty feet to your sidewalk splat death."

Jason nodded, palms up in a _chill out _gesture. "Got it, kid. Watch the splat threats. They're getting kinda _pushy off skyscrapers _if you know what I mean."

Robin's mask narrowed into slits. "_Please_ don't call me kid," he warned ominously, giving the impression he was not asking a favor, more like commanding. "And this is just a regular building." He looked up thoughtfully. "I could always just shove you off the Fifth Third Bank building or the Wayne Enterprises one. Lots of real skyscrapers sitting out there, just waiting for Jason to fall off them to his hundred plus feet free fall death." He gave a theatrical sigh. "I can't wait."

"The girl dies," Jason mused, "And you take her place as pessimistic miser of a curmudgeon."

Robin lashed out low, kicking Jason's feet from under him as he tumbled, yelling, down into the cold atmosphere. Drawing a birdarang and expertly firing it, the taunt rope ensnared the thief by an ankle as Robin allowed him to dangle there, drawing a second birdarang, sharp edge gleaming, this one indefinitely able to slice through the rope like a knife into hot butter.

"Excuse me?" he hissed coldly. "I advise you not to slander my late friend with foul malice."

Jason made some wild mouthing movements, spluttering indistinguishably, his breathing coming fast and short.

Robin sighed in pretend disappointment. "You know, it would be a pity to come so far in your criminal career and have it literally cut short from dangling fifty feet up above a heavy traffic area," he noted, twirling the gleaming birdarang in his grip casually.

Jason shook his head quickly, grinning nervously.

Robin shook his head dolefully. "Too bad I can't kill you because that would silence my information source."

Jason breathed out in relief. "多謝多謝." he muttered in a horrible American accent.

Robin glared down the edge of the building. "But I assure you- next time, you won't be so lucky."

The thief gave him double thumbs-up and a careless grin as best as a person dangling fifty feet up by their ankle can do. "Hey, um, mind planting my feet on solid ground?"

It was Robin's turn to grin as he lifted his birdarang. "Mind if it's your entire broken body?"

Jason looked like he was going to die of sheer terror.

Robin snorted. "Kidding. I can't let anyone die, even a half-witted nincompoop poltroon of an idiotic, abysmal failure." He sheathed the birdarang reluctantly, jerking the rope up sharply so Jason flew up, yowling and yelping, over the edge, face-planting into the hard concrete with a loud thump and a crack.

"Solid building concrete with steel infrastructure- that's gotta hurt." he noted a little too happily.

Jason moaned, pressing the edge of his fingers against his now freely bleeding nose, limp exaggerated. "Hey, dude, _not cool._" He looked at him with a scrutinizing glance, eyes behind the mask narrowed. "You were serious about the kidding part, right?" he asked hopefully. "You aren't going to tip me over the edge anymore?"

"Four point five six seven two three six percent guaranteed," Robin said with a devious smirk.

Jason winced. "That's a ninety-five point four three two seven six four percent chance of dying an untimely death. Hardly favorable odds."

Robin's smirk only widened. "Exactly. You're not as stupid as you look."

"Why thank y-" Jason began. "Wait, _what_? _You _designed this getup!"

Robin cocked his head, letting the insult hang. "And _you _are a hypocritical jerk, because it's _my _suit, and in your non-fused no-neurons malfunctional lump of a hardly qualificable human brain, you couldn't find your own _clothes_. You might want to pick up the pace, criminal crap. Like you said, there's a ninety-five point four three two seven six four percent chance that I would be happy to set to one hundred for you."

Jason glared at him as he leaped over to the next building. "You're a crazy psychotic nutter with a cold-blooded stone heart."

Robin followed, bounding lithely next to him, hand flipping a birdarang sword skillfully, testing out its grip, a careless, bored look on his face. "You seriously just noticed that?"

Jason decided to shut up.

* * *

Robin hated being the bad guy, to say the least. He hated his constant death threats, he hated taking advantage of people, he hated being more and more like his worst enemy himself, who he figured to be behind this all.

So, if he acted like this, what made him different from all those other backstabbing murderers which he had fought against so long to protect Jump City?

_It's necessary. _he consoled himself half-heartedly. _For Raven. And besides, you'll stop a serial killer before it starts the serial half of the killing._

But he couldn't bring himself to believe it.

He had to admit he played a very convincing role of the ruthless new law smasher on the block, though.

The warehouse came into closer view like a slumbering monster, tattered and torn. It looked like it would would collapse like a house of cards at the slightest zephyr, much less the roaring winter gale that screamed in Robin's ears.

"Are you sure anything's _alive _in there?" Robin asked doubtfully, as he stopped, standing in front of the warehouse eyeing the battered, stained canvas which flicked limply in the cold atmosphere like a tattered ghost, ancient, long since splintered and broken wood supports sticking out at weird angles from the gaping tear. It looked like it had caved in from a tiny bit of snow heaped on the edge of the hole.

"Of course," Jason said in a confident, offended voice.

The timbers groaned as the entire back half shivered and collapsed in a huge, dirty heap in a colossal storm of dust motes whisked away into the wild wind. In sanitary standards, it was probably able to face off with Beastboy's three month old unwashed laundry version of Mount Everest. Well, almost.

Robin gave a pointed glance at the thief. "Pardon?"

"Maybe not," Jason admitted.

Robin sighed, and slammed a nearby brick wall with his fist in frustration as the ancient stones buckled, crumbling into a cloud of dust as Jason realized he was saying, _Hurry up or this is you_. He held both hands up. "Okay, chillax!"

Robin glared at him, obviously not _chillaxing. _His right hand grasped his red and yellow birdarang sword, twirling it absentmindedly. Suddenly, he flicked his wrist as Jason yelped, the blade catching in his tattered black cape, yanking him into a wall as he slammed into it, bricks falling down dangerously near his now wide-eyed face. The sword impaled itself into the mortar of the old stone, millimeters away from his temple.

Jason looked at the sword through the periphery of his vision. "Okay! I got it!"

Robin glared at the thief, mask narrowed slits. "I wasn't even aiming that shot. Shut up and get me what I want before I show you just how accurately I can throw blades."

Jason nodded quickly, grabbing the hilt of the metal weapon and tugging it loose, hurling it in a huff at Robin, who caught the handle expertly, deftly collapsing it and sheathing it into his belt.

"I advise you to get moving now," he warned.

Wordlessly, he sprinted over to the warehouse, Robin following behind, rolling his eyes.

* * *

The doors of the warehouse stood austerely, seeming to glare down on the passerby, despite its decrepit, woebegone state. A tattered piece of muddy canvas flicked in and out of wind, fading red paint reading _DISCONTINUED WAREHOUSE. EVACUATED DUE TO ABNORMALLY FREQUENT COLLAPSE. DANGER- HAZARD OF FALLING OBJECTS OR TOTAL STRUCTURAL FAILURE._

Jason grinned as he flung an arm out theatrically. "Ta-da!"

Robin snorted derisively. "Fascinating. A door."

Jason's eyes narrowed, his irritation magnified through the voice filter of his mask. "Look, kid, just open the door, and you'll know what I'm talking about."

Robin gritted his teeth, his eye twitching in annoyance, before poking the doors pointedly out of exaggerated spite.

A long, creaking moan ensued as the door tipped on their thresholds, tearing fabric as they groaned, before falling in a flurry of gritty dust at the duo's feet.

"Yeah..." Robin muttered. "I see why this place is abandoned."

"Mleah mleah mleah," Jason complained. "Can you shut up for once?"

"Can you?" Robin countered, as he cautiously walked under the arch infrastructure support of the warehouse, shielding his neck with his hands in case of, ahem, total structural failure, to understate.

Jason stuck his foot out as Robin yelped, tripping over his outstretched leg and landing on his face.

_I will not laugh or else Robin will kill me. _he reminded himself internally. _I will not laugh. I will merely keep on walking and put as much distance between me and him. __I will not laugh or even smile. I will not drop to the ground on my knees and start slapping the ground hard from mirth uncontrollably, bawling with laughter. I will not break down after his dismal failure to spot my foot. I absolutely will not. Nope, I won't... too late._

Robin got up, staring daggers at Jason. "I regret not cutting the rope on that ten-story building," he muttered ruefully.

Jason stopped laughing.

Robin smirked. "Thought so." He looked thoughtful. "You know, when people get to know you, you're really wimpier than they had always thought."

Jason snorted, "Please, shut up. You really do put a sarcastic and miserable spin on everything."

Red X gulped. Smart-aleck comebacks could wait. He did not want to be thrown into a windowless white cell when he was so close to beating the record for longest undetected by police crime.

Robin shrugged dismissively. "I try. What's on display, convict?"

Jason looked sorely offended. "I'm not a convict! What an insult to my prestigious criminal career! I've never been caught! _Ever!_"

The ex-Titan's mask narrowed to slits. "You will be if you don't pick up the pace."

"No need for the threats," a voice echoed through the warehouse suddenly as Robin's eyes widened in surprise, whirling around, bo staff ready.

A dark silhouette stood, set apart from the white expanse outside the empty door-frame.

"I'm going to kill you, convict." Robin snarled out of the corner of his mouth.

Who couldn't resist the temptation when he had led them straight into the hands of his worst nemesis?


	7. Chapter 7

_**{Hi I'm back again (lost my account for a while). Please excuse my terrible updating effectiveness. I update as fast as possible. Promise.  
**_

**_Blanky- No comment...}_**

"Slade." Robin snarled as Jason managed a nervous grin, backing away surreptitiously.

Robin flung out an arm knife-wise, giving Jason a _don't move I'll kick your butt later or I'll flay you alive, burn the entrails, and scatter the measly ashes to the four winds now _stare.

Jason froze abruptly, nodding carefully.

Robin's former master picked his way almost carelessly around the debris, springing easily onto the ground a few yards away from him, his one visible eye widening in mock surprise.

"_Robin!_" he drawled in the smug tones that Robin so, in a rage of a temperamental inferno which kept all other living entities at least fifty yards away from him, condemned. "Fancy meeting _you_ here,"

Robin's eye actually twitched. "Spit it out, criminal." he snarled, mask narrowing to slits. "What do you want?"

"Manners, Robin." Slade said, stepping closer as he angled his head to one side, obviously amused. "Manners. Is this the respect you show to your elders?"

"I show respect to those who deserve it." Robin snarled back. "Cough it up, before I have to pound it out of you."

Slade threw back his masked head and laughed, and for some reason, that laugh scared Robin more than anything else. Cold, harsh, sibilant, cruel, and completely merciless. It sent broken glass screeching down his spine.

"Robin, Robin," he sneered, kicking aside a pile of dirty canvas as dust motes shot up into the air, settling (or not quite) in an amorphous haze. "What a completely, totally, and unquestionably _pathetic._ You, _you, _threatening _me?_ I don't think so. You can hardly lay a finger on me."

Robin hissed. "'You _could_ hardly lay a finger on me.' Not 'you_ can'_. _You could._"

Slade laughed again, which only served to infuriate Robin further. Or perhaps that was the point. "Robin, you're so _confident _in your _irredeemable deficiency._ I can hardly believe I'm saying this, but it's what I would -don't get me wrong, this feeling is alien to me- _adorable. _So childishly fantastical. What, you've gone back to your amateurish gym and punched a couple wooden dummies? I'm quaking in my boots."

Robin opened his mouth to defend his _couple wooden dummies, _but Slade cut him off with a terrible smirk.

"Of course," he added lazily, clasping his hands behind his back casually and tilting his head slightly right innocently (as innocently as a ruthless criminal mastermind can be) as his one eye widened in malice. "It can't be hard to improve from the chasms of your idiocy. I hazard a guess at your poor little- what was that misnomer again?_ Friends_."

Robin had enough as he yelled in rage, charging at Slade, who merely smiled in an irritating serendipity.

Robin punched, kicked, round-housed, slashed, spear-handed, swiped, jabbed, and even bit at Slade in his fury. Pick an offensive move, any offensive move, he used it.

It was scarily impressive. Besides the biting part, that is. That bit looked a little ridiculous, biting his metal armor. Robin was thankful that his enamel was strong.

Slade, naturally, agreed to disagree.

The criminal only laughed as he parried the melee of blows, not even retaliating as his twisted smile only widened behind that infamous half-orange, half-black mask. Block to the left, the right- no, that was just a silly feint. Parry to the left, then. Step back, cross arms in frost, twist to the side, repeat...

It was almost like dancing. That is, dancing that could leave you in Jump City's most accomplished Intensive-Care Unit and still be on critical, unresponsive with an impressive second degree concussion.

Robin didn't notice his inability to leave a dent on Slade, still shrieking like a banshee as he executed a series of perfect flying kicks, none of which hit Slade.

"Enough playtime, little birdie," Slade whispered.

A black flash, a dervish of red light, a cacophonous crash, a foreboding crack, sickening thud.

There was nothing else after that.

**_{It's so SHORT... oh well. Next chapter will be better and up in a bit! Thanks for reading!}_**


	8. Chapter 8

_**{Well I'm back and active, maybe this won't end as fast as I expected, but... whatever. Maybe. I don't know, I'm improvising. **__**Here we go!**_

_**NOTE: Blanky came up with the Blanky graffiti, credit for that goes to BlankyTheRockDorkinsnob.}**_

Life's sweet irony.

Or rather, bitter.

Yeah, Robin wasn't too cozy with this place, never been, but I guess there's a first for everything.

Specifically, the Jump City Jail.

Yeah, they got a little security remodeling but pretty much accomodations was the same as in _Divide and Conquer, _complete with the rock-hard beds, stereotypical cell bars and the concrete floor. Your typical zero-star prison that rears its ugly head in a couple of comics and stuff.

Except the inhabitants, they got a little bit rowdy.

Graffiti covered the walls, ranging from matte black all the way up to ivory white, and always, always, bright bold colors that stood out starkly against the nondescript grey concrete, and they were everywhere, loopy and bubbly, indiscriminately slopped on by a thoroughly bored idiot criminal in seriously razzed raspberry pink explosions or right raging in a rainbow reverie.

_**~!?BLANKYWUZ****HEER!?WHASSUPDUDE?!XDHOWUB?!~**_

Robin facepalmed at the writer's incapability to spell _'was'_, and... Blanky? Never heard of him. Or her, whatever.

This was coming from one of Jump's most revered crime fighter. At least, formely.

Word got around quick. It sickened Robin to see these on the opposite side of the law throwing themselves at the bars of their cells to congratulate his 'turn' to the criminal.

He wasn't a criminal.

Was he?

Either way, he had to keep up the act, just a little longer, he hated it, but it was necessary to find Raven's murderer and issue some rightful retribution. And then, he'd clear his name and shut up every one of these criminals fast, catch them and stick them right back in their lowly cells.

What, exactly, was he thinking?

Jailbreak.


	9. Chapter 9

_**{Blanky- What?**_

_**Sorry for the lack of in-character-ness for Robin and Red X. I need Robin to play villain and Red X clueless immature rookie for a bit, our beloved hero shall return shortly as well as our talented, smart-aleck thief. :)}**_

Robin sat by himself in a despondent, shadowed corner thinking about his life, the fluorescent white lights starkly bathing the concrete room in a watchful, austere glare.

Not really.

In reality, he was waiting for those timed disk explosives he had implanted in the disarming room (without the ignorant police officer's knowing, of course) to go off.

Tapping his foot impatiently against the white-tiled floor, he gritted his teeth, keeping up the typical frustrated and angry, freshly caught law-breaker, not that it was really hard- it had already been fifteen minutes, maybe the charges were dead? Or disarmed? Removed?

That would pretty much send his ticket to freedom crashing down around his ears.

"Hey, kid, cool off," an annoyed voice snapped a little too loudly.

Robin snorted, turning around. "Cool off? _Cool off?! _You're the one hooting at the top of your lungs and clawing at the walls like a demented dysfunctional neurally damaged meat-deprived Cyborg! Are you a person or the great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-gr eat-great-great-great-great," he ticked off the '_great_'s on his fingers (well, tried anyways, he ran out of fingers), "repeating, grandfather of the hominid with just about enough electric charge in that lump of grey matter bouncing around your impossibly thicker skull you call a brain to almost surpass that existing in a 'down' quark?!"

The irredeemably confused Jason merely stared at Robin with a blank, unseeing expression and a slack jaw half-opened as _that lump of grey matter bouncing around in his impossibly thicker skull he called a brain_ tried to process this irate chastisement which had one too many scientific references.

Unfortunately, Robin's ranting insult didn't work as planned.

"Just... be quiet and prepare yourself," Robin snarled, plopping down back onto the bench.

Jason nodded- this was not lost on him, thankfully.

Hissing in frustration, he turned away, practically stomping around, bent over double as he paced around, making a sound like a popped balloon and certainly deflating like one.

_Craack._

Robin jerked his head up.

A single fine line, traced shakily into the achromatic walls.

Robin smiled.

That was all he needed.

A bestial roar savagely shook the foundations of the badly weathered prison as sibilant hissing slithered through the eroded concrete, leaving a trail of cracks in its wake. Clouds of dust and plaster suffocated the air, suffusing the air with the stench of decaying earth, specters of ghostly white and gritty ocher diffusing through the already unhealthy atmosphere.

Diving under the bench, Robin crouched, quickly curling up into earthquake safety position, his masked eyes scanning the periphery, calm, composed, pleased with the situation.

Jason, on the other hand, was busy screaming and playing an unsuccessful game of dodgerock with the prison itself, running into walls, collapsing under cascades of dirt and chunks of fallen stone.

Robin allowed himself a moment to facepalm and shake his head in disgust before his arm shot out, dragging his fellow convict under the bench by the ankle, his cargo bouncing obediently along.

"Shut up for once and do exactly as I say," Robin snarled, his gaze boring into Red X's terrified one. "Understand?"

"For the love of skittles who-" Jason started angrily, before an intense squeeze of his ankle cut him off into a sharp cry of pain. "Okay! Okay! I got it!"

Robin merely gave him a curt nod. "Okay... we're going to make a run for it. Stay close to me, as much as I dislike it, stay focused, don't do anything stupid. Capiche?"

"Then why did you drag me under here in the first place?" Jason pointed out irritably.

"Because," the Titan returned with equal impatience, "The ceiling is caving in. We had to dodge the worst of the fall, then go out in the dying aftershocks."

"Aren't the aftershocks more dangerous?" he insisted dubiously. "Why not wait until it's all over?"

"Because the police will be here by then and then you can sit out the rest of your miserable life sitting in a drab cell until your flesh all rots off and-"

"Okay! Okay!" Jason conceded quickly. "Fine. Fine. Chillax."

Robin muttered something probably not very nice under his breath as he turned towards the tumbling wreckage. "Okay. Ready?"

"Well actually maybe there's a better way let me think of another wa-AHHH!"

"Talk less move more!" Robin barked sharply, leaping onto the wall, Jason bouncing after him.

"_Lehgofmahankulehgofmahankulehgofmahankul!_" the criminal choked angrily, coughing and hacking on the dust to clear his windpipe.

"What is it now?" Robin growled, distracted as he scrambled up onto a pile of particularly jagged rubbish.

Spitting out a wad of mud, Jason shrieked, "LET GO OF MY ANKLE! Gosh that was tedious..." he added under his breath.

Robin happily obliged, dropping Jason practically off the roof as he scrambled onto the collapsing concrete, Jason screaming as he fell, scrabbling for a hold of the trembling walls as he painfully made his way back up.

Quite literally flying through the hole in the roof, Robin grunted as Red X smacked bodily into him, driving into facefirst into the hard surface as the thief sat on his head, arms crossed defiantly. Furiously, the victim opened his mouth to shout at his childishness before swallowing a mouthful of... shall we say, _bodily exhaust gas._

"Sorry," Jason apologized, not sounding the most minute bit sorry.

"Get off me!" Robin shrieked, ignoring the insincere apology. He felt no urge to be polite in this situation.

Jason quickly leaped up, backing away. He liked his posterior where it was and not blasted off by an extremely ticked archenemy of his.

Robin slowly got to his feet, glowering as he clamped his mouth shut, sniffing the usually sickly sweet fumes of city traffic, blinking rapidly as he stood there one, two, three seconds.

"I think my sense of smell just died." Robin noted matter-of-factly, glaring at Red X.

"I couldn't hold it in!" the guilty wailed plaintively, trying appeal to his merciful and understanding side.

"Whatever! Whatever!" Robin yelled, seriously ticked. "Just get moving!"

Red X nodded quickly. This was not the time to annoy him- that could come later.

Pity, it was kind of fun.

_**{A not-so-great chapter to try to make up for a long hiatus, sorry... I hope you enjoyed anyways. I'll be writing the next chapter, hopefully get it up quickly. Review and follow! Thank you!}**_


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